London police are trying to get a type of synthetic marijuana off the streets and out of convenience stores.

The product is called Izms or K2 and has been on the market since 2011.

London police Det.-Sgt. Chris McCoy says “There’s fruity smelling flavours, it’s marketed in candy-like packages, sure, I mean I think if I was a 10, 12-year-old, I would be attracted to one.”

It is marketed as ‘legal’ marijuana, but police say it is a criminal offence to possess, possess for the purpose of trafficking or traffic in a cannabinoid.

Health Canada has identified the existence of synthetic cannabinoids in the product, which is why it has now been determined to be an illegal substance.

McCoy says “We have found a couple of stores selling here in London and we just want to get the message out that this is an illegal product.”

It has similar side-effects as marijuana, but has a chemical agent that gives the user a hallucinogenic high.

In 2012, the U.S. passed the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act, which listed some of the ingredients as illegal.

Jeff Oakes of The Organic Traveller says “I get people calling here all the time, wholesalers call all the time telling us they want to ship us free samples to give out to people and I always say no, I’m not interested.”

Another product police are warning the public about is Salvia. It is legal, but police say people should be aware of the dangers of consuming this product may have on their health.

The London Middlesex Health Unit says smoking Salvia can cause extreme hallucinations, which can leave the user incapable of controlling their physical movements and in some cases may cause suicidal tendencies.

Police are asking anyone who knows of any convenience store or business selling Izms in London to contact the London Police criminal investigation division at 519-661-5674 or by email at CID@police.london.ca.